Sweet Goddess
by Neranimmisar
Summary: Kagome has left the feudal era and sealed it away at the end of the manga...though with slightly different circumstances. She finds instead a young man Lezard Velath at the bottom of the well...will they be able to mend each others wounds?
1. Esoteric Crossroads

**Prologue:** _An Esoteric Crossroads_

_I could never forget the first time I saw her. The lustrous silver of her long gossamer hair flowing down her heavenly body as she drifted downward, seeming to blend into the pearly white of the cottony feathered wings that were bringing her to earth, to me. My thoughts came to a standstill for a moment I wished I could draw eternally across time, as my mind set in painful detail the beauty of my first vision of my sweet goddess. Viridian eyes a mask of brilliant judgment, emotions cruelly hidden deep beneath the nobility she so embodied. Armored in the holy colors of gold and blue she skillfully dispatched those that would dare sin against the gods…cutting into them with a vengeful sort of purification. If I wasn't so assured of my power over her I likely would have shivered in fear of her unquestionable virtue._

_Though I still trembled for another reason, one that came as a surprise to me as much as it had my Valkyrie: For the first time in my existence I knew what it meant to love…to lust after one exquisite creature with the entirety of by soul -however black it might be-. I would have -and have- given anything for a whisper of her presence, a scent of her voice, for the thrill that the sight of her etched into the very core of my being. I adored each venomous word with which she graced me, each slice of her sword as she did her best to punish me for my various transgressions against her and the mundane world she seemed to so enjoy._

_But therein my delightful distraction became my downfall; I didn't predict that she would join herself with those other lesser gods and that worthless mortal to try to destroy me. The unexpected strength left me with little I could do but jump into another dimension before they set my very soul asunder._

_At least among my Lenneth's list of endearing traits her lack of memory while she's enraged had worked out to my advantage. She had forgotten in her haste to destroy me that my fate no longer lies in her hands, that my spirit lies outside of the balance of time and space. The gods cannot unmake what I took away from them long ago with the aid of the philosophers stone - my cursed soul is mine alone and even Hel herself has no claim to it._

_Though in my weakened state I remained unable to set what path I would take, tossed into the endless dimensions and separated from the world that held my melodic angel…_

**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

It was an amazing storm.

Thunder crashed through the sky as lightning cut uneven streaks across the darkened horizon, the rain pounded a vengeful hum as it destroyed what little vegetation existed in the middle of Tokyo and was beginning to pool in the streets edges and every available surface it could possibly gather.

A soaked high school student bolted down the steps of the shrine where her family lived, puddles exploding with each footfall. Eyes so blurred it was a matter of luck that she hadn't tumbled headlong to a bruised finish, she only knew she wanted to be as far away as possible. From the well, from the portal to the old world that held the boy that had denied her love and broken her young heart. The salt in her tears washed away long before they had the chance to fall, mingling with the heavy precipitation as it fell.

Her uniform clung to her as a second skin, already completely soaked through in her short flight from the scene of her heartache. If it hadn't been for the warmer summer temperature she would have been half frozen already and only the exertion of her sprinting was keeping her from shivering. Her hair stuck to her face in the front and sloshed against her back with each step.

Her mindless fleeing of seeing her crush in the arms of his former lover…it was as if nothing would ever fix her selfish wish to return things to as they were before she'd arrived and Naraku had torn Inuyasha and Kikyo apart.

She'd just reached the bottom of the steps when an electric streak of malicious energy cut across her consciousness and gave her so much pause she stumbled to a harsh fall on the slick pavement of the sidewalk.

Her breath came unevenly; not only from the exercise – to a point her adventures in the feudal era had been amazing for her physical health. It was the sudden dark presence she felt from the shrine behind her. So much like Naraku for a moment that fear had grasped her lungs in it's merciless talons for those first few seconds that she'd forgotten to breathe.

She pushed herself back up, blinking at the scene above her. The storm almost seemed to cocoon itself about the area of the shrine where she felt the presence. As if nature itself was being some sort of herald via tempest for whatever it was that had just entered her world.

Once she'd gotten past the shock she headed back up the steps she had just fled from, if something was entering the well she had to face it and see what was happening. The well was supposed to have sealed itself after her disappearance from the feudal era and if some sort of demon had made its way through then she was the only defense this world and time had…

**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

Pain wasn't something he was used to and it didn't inspire him to move any faster from wherever it was he'd ended up in the corridor of dimensions where he was haphazardly flung. The raging weather above him didn't quite manage to do more than create a small lull and in fact if it weren't for the interrupting thunder he would have let it draw him back into the comfortable nature of unconsciousness.

He could feel the soft dirt of the deep earth below his back. He could pick up scent of ozone, which with some sort of floral perfume and the coppery scent of his blood all mingled in the air. Despite the rain that wanted to draw him back into compassionate slumber he didn't feel as if he was wet, save for the slight stickiness where his blood had stained his fine velvet garments.

He hadn't been able to fully avoid that final strike from the creature Alicia had become, that accursed girl that had absorbed his beloved and used her godly powers to strike him down. Taken as he was with thoughts of vengeance he hadn't realized that someone had settled themselves near him. At first the voice was distant until he grasped it as a point to concentrate on and pull himself back out of the threatening unconsciousness.

"Oh my…" The first words were a whisper along with a gasp. "Hello? Are you all right?"

The voice that reached him was strangely accented and he only barely recognized the language thanks to his years of studies in the philosopher's stone. More detailed conversation would take him time to pick up on but at least he did recognize the local tongue of wherever he'd ended up.

The thought of sleep was still tempting but the blend of holy power in the spirit that approached him gained his interest and he wearily opened one of his eyes.

The girl appeared much like the few he'd witnessed in the orient during his travels, helping him to place himself a little more. Though her clothing choice was one of the most bizarre he'd witnessed. Perhaps his arrival had woke her and she was in her nightgown. The power in her was strong enough that it would pose a threat were it more refined, though the concern written across her pretty features let him know she didn't mean him any harm. At the time being he wasn't in the position to be choosy as to any help he would receive.

The look also spoke volumes as to just how grievous his injuries must appear. The alien torch she brought with her only served to further disorient his slightly reeling senses and he allowed his eyes to slide closed again.

"Hello?" She spoke suddenly louder when he seemed as if he'd passed out. "Can you hear me?"

She started to move away, likely with the intention of getting other help but he couldn't know who or what that was and if they might recognize him in his weakened state. He reached up, doing his best to ignore the agony that accompanied even that small motion and coughed once before he could manage the foreign speech.

"No…don't leave. I can hear you. Don't yell." His Japanese was broken but it would have to serve, it was better than not being able to communicate at all.

"You are really hurt." She was apparently good at stating the obvious. "We should get you to a hospital."

He could make an educated guess as to what a hospital was. "No. I…I'll be fine if I can rest…" He frowned at his struggle to find the correct words to use. With the dizziness and pain that was still hounding him he didn't dare open his eyes again.

"But…you are bleeding. You could be dying…" She seemed at a loss as to how to protest further but she still didn't move away from the light clasping of his hand at her wrist.

"Where are we?" He needed to absorb as much information as he could. This girl obviously had no idea of who he was.

"You must have fell…this is the bottom of a dried up well at my family's shrine." She stared in disbelief of how well he was doing, horrified and fascinated that he was conscious with the deep gash in his side, all the blood made it difficult to tell how deep it went but she was certain she didn't really want to know. "If you don't want me to get a doctor can I at least go get my first aid kit and do what I can for your wounds?"

"I'll be okay." He reassured, soaking in what information her words and tone offered. "Are you not trained in healing magic?"

**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

It was already bizarre enough that she'd found the young man at the bottom of her well dressed in finery of the western feudal era but the fact that he was actually speaking and assuring his recovery with the grievous wounds in his chest made Kagome already suspect he must have been transferred here from the world she'd just left Inuyasha behind in.

When he asked her as to training in healing magics she knew for certain somehow the well must have allowed his passage to the shrine and with the dark feelings that had accompanied his arrival she didn't know how she should honestly proceed.

"I…not exactly…who are you?" She could barely offer a reply to his question as he mind was busy with possibilities. Would she still be able to visit her friends in the past?

"Call me Lezard." He replied, it didn't seem as if anyone here would know him and he did prefer his given name. "Have you healed people in the past?"

"Only very rarely." She admitted as she settled his hand back to the soft earth at the bottom of the well. "I never had formal priestess training."

It was almost impossible to tell what the young man was thinking. He was older than her but still very young. Short russet hair was disheveled and caked with dirt where his form had been pressed a little into the earth. He was a little pale but it seemed to suit him somehow. He reminded her with the glasses and hair style of Hojo…the boy she'd liked a little before the whole inuyasha issue had started.

He was a little older but had more western features, wider eyes, higher cheekbones, he seemed a little regal though the glasses softened that into more the look of an intellectual than a noble.

"Would you be able to help?" He was still frowning at his lack of any mastery for the language. His sentences seemed very much like the few foreigners she'd met, more forced than natural. "I could show you."

"How to heal you?" she asked curiously, she had been about to leave again for her first aid kit but the idea of training had always interested her and kept her in place for the moment. "I think it might be better if I try to bandage your wound."

"It's all right." His voice was soft, polite, strangely relaxed for the situation he was in. He was hiding the strain she figured to help her not freak out. What a strange person. "Give me your hands."

He winced when he raised his own gloved hands feebly so she could listen to his instructions and she frowned but accepted them gently. The smooth feel of the leather gloves was cold and immediately reminded her of the chill she was catching in the well while soaked to the bone. She shivered gently but ignored it as best she could, wanting to help.

"Close your eyes."

That instruction was easy enough and she did.

"Think of me, remember my form and my wounds." He was doing what he could to phrase the directions correctly. Perhaps just irritated he couldn't sound more intelligent than basic verbs and nouns…he was so used to using more intricate phrases he didn't appreciate not being able to use them now. "Listen to my voice. Find the part of yourself that draws on magic. Relax and repeat those steps."

She nodded once, doing her best to remember the grievous details of his bloody wound and his body and face, listening to him as he spoke and concentrating on the few previous times her power had come to her. All of those had been freak incidents surrounded by raging emotions of fear or anger and not the calmer setting he was making. Though she fought with herself and forced her mind into a state close to the meditation Kaeda had shown her several times.

She heard him speaking in a foreign language that sounded a little like the German she'd heard Era studying in school. It was a strange thing to hear and she felt suddenly as if she was being drained as her shivering paused as she grew warmer.

A golden glow was around her hands, though when she opened her eyes it faded almost instantly and the wound that had been closing slowly stopped. Getting distracted had ended the little bit of magic she'd manage to draw on and she wavered a little…the world spinning at her drawing on energy she'd never consciously touched before. She smiled a little, pleased by her achievement, before she felt the world falling away.

**End Chapter**

That's it for now, guess I'll continue it depending on what people think of it. I'm not actually sure if I'll pair up Kagome and Lezard in this or if they'll just somehow become really bizarre friends...though it'll be tricky as hell I'm gonna try to shove them together somehow.

-Nera


	2. Scratching Backs

_**Chapter Two: Scratching Backs**_

_There is an obsessive ache that escorts betrayal…those constant nagging reminders of an innocence eternally lost. They say that time mends all wounds but they forget to add that all wounds leave scars. Just because the gash wasn't visible it didn't mean that she wasn't bleeding._

_She could still see it…when he leaned down his soft lips to touch those of his former lover. His hands curled black ringlets into his fingers even as the woman slipped hers into his kimono to trace his muscular chest. _

_The crimson drops from her heart blended with the tears her soul wept as the demons of the jewel forced her to watch her former love forget her and become one with the woman that she had been so much a part of…the woman she silently desired she could be before she was shunted cruelly back to her own time._

_Just because it had been a different world she'd never lost hope that one day she would end up with Inuyasha after Naraku had been defeated, that all the evils he had committed wouldn't be completely made up for but that at least they would end and she would be able to pursue a life with the boy who had stolen her daydreams for so many years._

_Then she had been forced to make a wish on a malicious pink crystal…_

**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

Lezard resisted the urge to just shove the girl away after she fell on him, he had been borrowing her power to regenerate after all and it wouldn't do well if she remembered the gesture. She wasn't overly heavy on his chest, she was small compared to many of the women in the area of Asgard he frequented.

She was pretty in her own right, likely would have been more so if she didn't remind him of the phrase 'drowned rat' given how soaked she was. Her body was shivering slightly even as it seemed to be leeching off the warmth of his. He could hardly leave her, she was going to be a guide until he could learn more of where he was. He doubted in polite society he could have accomplished acceptable speech alone and the girl might also be needed as a translator.

With the newfound strength, stolen from his slumbering new helper, he pushed himself up and settled her in his lap as he looked around the well they were in. It wouldn't do to press his magic too much until his wounds had healed but it wasn't likely he would be able to carry her and climb the rickety ladder built into the stone of the well's side.

The storm at least seemed to be starting to subside, the thunder and lightning had died out and the rain was down to more of a comfortable drizzle. He lifted her in a single arm, his free hand drawing lines and motions in the air as he muttered a short series of syllables. "Flight."

The single word was enough to lift him from the ground, he pulled the light high-school girl along with him and settled them down a short moment later when they reached the lip of the well. Even the short use of magic was disorienting and he had to grasp the railing nearby to keep from toppling over himself.

"_Did they really injure me this badly?"_ He thought with a bit of alarm as he was forced to catch his breath. _"Even if they were attempting to sunder my soul I should have gotten out of the way enough that casting a simple cantrip shouldn't do this…"_

Only pride kept him from sinking to his knees, he instead sneered and pushed away the dots of light playing across his vision…whatever they'd done he'd figure it out soon enough. She had to have a home of some sort near here…that would offer better protection from the elements than this busted down shack…for both of them.

It was another long moment before he was able to start up the steps and open the rickety door to the outside. A small draft of fresh air hit him and he had a new appreciation for the outdoors as he eyed the simple grounds, not sure what to make of the dead tree and then nodding a little at the home. It wasn't exactly what he would have preferred but definitely not the hovel he had expected. He continued to hold the woman close to him and stepped back out into the drizzle as he moved for the home.

**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

The soft velvet fabric was comfortable even when wet and Kagome was snuggling her cheek against it in groggy appreciation of it's fur-like softness.

Drops of water hitting her arms and face was drawing her out of the feint though her mind was still cloudy. At least for a short moment she had forgotten her troubles, and the unexpected visitor that was carrying her along. He still had a coppery scent that lingered from the blood and some other sort of scent underlying that she couldn't make out as she continued to nuzzle her face into the fabric on his shoulder.

"Feeling better?" His tone was neutral, he could hardly complain about some woman rubbing on him…other than wishing it was Lennethk, it didn't bother him. He'd laid with women other than his goddess before after all. It was amusing when she made a squeaking noise and pulled suddenly away from her snuggly motion, only managing to get to stay on her feet with a steadying hand.

"I…suppose…" she managed in a strained voice, it was surprising to wake up like that to say the least. She always seemed to be getting carried around by people when unconscious but it just wasn't something you got used to that easily - it was spooky.

"Do you have a key?" He kept to the point. _"Why blush about being carried by someone when she wears that? Seems hypocritical."_

She nodded and dug out her keys, silently glad they didn't fall out somewhere along her several sprints of the evening and opened the door. Immediately appreciative of the heat inside…it wasn't until the warmth of the indoors hit her that she realized just how cold she really was.

"I need to stop running in the rain." She commented as she turned the light on. "Mom, Souta, Grandpa!?"

She called each of them, waiting a little bit. "Guess no one else is here, please, make yourself at home."

He didn't hesitate, he was heading to sit down before she ever offered, glad to rest after the short walk. "You live with your family then?"

"Yes." She smiled lightly. "Give me a few minutes and I'll get you some fresh clothes…you are pretty dirty, want to take a shower?"

"A shower?" He wasn't familiar with the term, and waited for further explanation.

"Um…yeah?" She pondered a moment. "It's like a small waterfall…I could draw up a bath too."

Bath he did understand. "That would be nice. Thank you…what is your name?"

She paused halfway up the stairs. "Kagome." Then continued her mad dash to do whatever she was heading to do.

_"Odd name."_ He commented to himself as she had already left, pondering the simply but nicely decorated living area…he didn't recognize many of the metal boxes (the tv and vcr and other such things). It was a surprisingly clean place, rarely did average homes have a hygienic nature - and with his own tower anything but tidy - the lack of clutter was impressive.

He was still looking over things when Kagome hopped back down the steps, her hair was still wet but her clothing had been replaced by pants and a sweater - much more appropriate than the uniform she'd been sporting before.

"Okay, I put some extra clothes in the bathroom for you. It's the second door on the left upstairs." She motioned lightly. "I'm gonna make some dinner, are you hungry?"

"Yes." He nodded once, this was certainly an acceptable arrangement for the moment. He might be without Lenneth but he could have ended up in much less welcoming circumstances. It would suffice and he could learn more, the girl seemed eager to assist.

He moved away from her and up the steps, pausing in the room she mentioned. It was very tiny for a bath but the water was much more acceptable than many of the inns where he'd stayed so it equaled out the lack of space. He peeled away his dirty clothing and folded it nearly into a pile he placed on the only empty area of the counter. It was a little stinging at parts where the blood had caked so heavily and the clothing had used itself as a kind of bandage so when he pulled it away it started to bleed yet again.

The slight pain now was better than letting it get infected, he wasn't fully aware what sort of healing his newly absorbed powers would allow him and he wasn't willing to risk getting hurt from something so inconsequential as an infection he could have avoided. Besides, even if his home was often dirty, he liked to keep himself immaculate.

He slipped into the warm water and felt a new appreciation for soap, it seemed like he'd been at the bottom of that well for ages, who knows how long he'd lain there between consciousness and unconsciousness before the girl wandered in to find him. A dried up well with a shake around it didn't exactly scream as if it had common visitors, and with the hunger eating at his stomach with the scents drifting upward from downstairs it only reinforced the idea he'd been down there much longer than he would have preferred.

He had to admit that this liquid soap they had was so much more useful than rubbing a bar around, and it smelled far nicer than the usual acidic stuff he was used to. Yes, even if it was tiny, it was quite accommodating.

Lezard would have spent longer on his clean-up but the water was already growing darker from him, lingering would have only kept more dirt on than it removed. That, and the scent of food had his stomach growling at him with vengeful pangs that somehow screamed 'feed me you necromantic bastard'.

He dressed in the commoner clothing she'd left him, for lesser clothing it was fairly comfortable if a bit of a large fit. He just pushed up the sleeves and bounded back down the steps to search for the source of the tantalizing smells teasing his pissed off tummy.

"Hey." Kagome greeted upon his return, she'd had a little time to consider her losses for the evening but the distraction of having someone else around was nice. "The bath okay?"

"It was very lovely, it is a delight to be clean after all of that." He offered, smiling at her lightly. He noted the redness to her eyes, he'd always been apt to details and for all his lack of decorum at times he knew how to read people. "You seem as if something is bothering you?"

"It's nothing." She said too fast for it to be true. "I was cutting some onions for the pizza."

"_Why is it women always say nothing is wrong when there is so much wrong?" _He sighed inwardly. _"Except for my dear Lenneth…she never beat around the true problems she had."_

He let himself get distracted with thoughts of the various times Lenneth had told him directly everything that was bothering her. Even if he didn't usually care that it was with him it was so cute when she got angry.

"Here." He was still considering how her nose scrunched up adorably when Kagome settled a plate in front of him that smelled almost as divine as the woman he was picturing and he pushed his obsession away for the time being. "I hope you like it…pizza with everything."

He blinked at the odd triangular pieces of food in front of him and didn't pick up his until he watched Kagome eat some of hers. He blinked a little and tore through his first piece. "This is great, you are quite the chef."

Kagome laughed aloud at that. "Not for pizza, it's okay but I wouldn't call me chef-worthy. You really must be from the feudal era."

"Feudal era?" He asked curiously at the unfamiliar term, still eating at his second piece of pizza between occasional sips of the water she'd set out for him.

"Yeah um…" She wasn't sure still how much she should tell him. "A different time than the one you are from?"

"Oh…probably." He agreed with a nod. "Do you have a map of Asgard I might search over? It would be a good starting point."

"Asgard?" Kagome had to think for a while. "You mean earth?"

"That is another term for it." He had to also ponder a little with the foreign language. "You'll have to forgive me, my mastery of your language is poor."

"So wait." A light-bulb popped in Kagome's head as she remembered her mythology classes. "You mean you are from feudal era Germany? Like with the gods and the world tree and all that stuff?"

"Is there no longer a world tree?" That was alarming news, he used the world trees to transverse dimensions, he shouldn't have been able to be tossed to one lacking such a gateway.

"I dunno." Kagome answered honestly. "I don't think so…there isn't really magic or mythical creatures left in this time."

"What do you mean?" That made him start…that was definitely a bad sign…he'd visited a few times in the great past and future in his travels where the arts had begun to decline but how much.

"Well." She took a bit of her pizza to chew so she would have time to formulate a response. "It's like, I think there are a few things here and there, but they're all hidden. No one believes in magic or time travel or monsters or anything like that anymore."

"_Damn it."_ He cursed mentally. _"That will make it much harder to escape from this place…"_

"You seem to know how to deal with magic, I'm sorry if that's bad news." She had seen the frown the moment she'd told him. "You understand you can't just go tossing spells around or everyone will try to kill you or capture you so they can try to study you."

"I appreciate the warning…it seems I was lucky enough to fall into the hands of someone that accepts what I say in a world of skeptics, care to tell me why you are reacting so easily to my presence then?" Lezard questioned, he didn't doubt her, magic even in the world where he was originally born was frowned upon and feared in many areas of the world. If it suddenly appeared amongst masses that thought it wasn't real? It would mean he would never reach an end to being hounded, while he didn't mind killing even he knew he couldn't stand against a whole world and survive.

"I…I traveled back to the feudal era of this area not long ago." She responded, suddenly sad again. "Though that portal was suppose to have been closed a little while before I found you in the well. I used to use it to travel to the past and back here."

"Interesting." He nodded a little, it made sense, he'd found random other portals here and there, though something like a well certainly would be a place he hadn't considered before. "It is quite a strange place for such a device. Do you know what powers it?"

She shook her head. "No…I think I was tied to the past because of something I needed to do there, but I accomplished that and I'm back now."

"You miss it." He observed. "If you will help me find a way back to my world then I will see what I can do about re-opening it for you."

"Really?" She seemed suddenly more hopeful, she already missed her friends greatly and while seeing Inuyasha would be painful the thought of never seeing the rest of her companions held far more agony. "Could you do that?"

"I have a certain affinity with portals." He replied with a smile. "I've studied them for a very long time. It is the least I could do if you would aid me in my own quest."

"Then definitely." Kagome agreed as she picked up her second piece of pizza. "Where should we start?"

**End Chapter**

**That chapter was a doozy, took me days to figure out stuff I wanted to do exactly. Which probably goes to show just how bad I am at this fiction stuff compared to some people that write out thousands of words in a setting. No idea how people do that but lots of appreciation from me for it. The plot ended on a point that I suppose wasn't really suspenseful or anything but I felt was a good place. At least I got a good friend thing going thus far…but hey they say the best relationships are when you are friends first! And reviews? Maybe, please?**

**-Nera**


	3. Pizza and Conversation

**Chapter Three: Pizza and Conversation**

_There is a certain loneliness that accompanies being separated from those you love. A part of life that transforms from warmth to a cool void. Only feelings of hopelessness and negativity remain in such a empty place, a weed rooting itself to the soul. Digging it's way mercilessly into the consciousness so it will not be easily forgotten. The only way to fully remove and recover from this wicked emptiness is to find new people with which to ease the pain of loss._

_Scars can be recovered from if time and care is taken when they appear._

_Yet, the longer one waits, the deeper they allow these roots to grow, the more difficult it becomes to remove them. So many cling to the hope that they can recover if the continue to cling to the problem…yet letting go is the first step to digging oneself free of such bonds._

_**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**_

"I'm not sure of that myself." He answered Kagome with a shrug, snatching himself another slice of the pizza - he hadn't realized just how hungry he'd been. "With magic not existing here finding records of portals will be difficult."

"Well, I guess I could get some mythology books from the library…" She commented, smiling at his vicious appetite. At least someone appreciated her cooking. "Seems like a lot of old stories are more real than most people believe."

He nodded at that, considering her words. It made sense, many rumors and tales of mythical things in his own time were based in truth. He had to admit that luck had favored him when he'd gotten tossed to the wind of fate as to which dimension he would end up in. It was only a matter of time and he would find a portal free of this place and back to his Lenneth. Time was something he could afford while he recovered from the attack that mortal witch and the combined force of the Valkyrie.

Lezard still had to test just how much he was capable of after a bit of time to rest. Once his injuries had closed fully he would have a better stand as to how much power he could call on - on how deep the real cut had gone. Things that effected his powers of his mind were much more limiting than those that cut into his body - at least as far as the necromancer was concerned. Though his current lack of magics didn't seem as if it would be a real issue in this place. He'd gotten quite lucky as to his realm of recovery.

"What will you tell your family?" He was curious, he didn't want to trust too many people in this world just yet - he already had to rely more heavily on this girl than he would like. "I would rather not tell them what I'm capable of if people react as you say. There are people after me…which should be obvious by the wounds I arrived with. They shouldn't be able to follow me here but I'd prefer to keep myself from anyone's sight as much as possible."

"Um…I suppose we could say you are a transfer student from Germany." She pondered between bites of her dinner. "You'd have to come to school with me and get signed up though…it'll be a little hard if you don't have any paperwork or a passport but I guess we can say that it got destroyed or something."

"If we need to speak with people about it don't worry too much, I can handle it as long as too many onlookers aren't there." He shrugged off the small detail as if it were nothing. He understood the basic idea of a passport but he had no way of easily getting one or forging one when he didn't know what they looked like.

"How?" Kagome considered his comments, not liking where this was going.

"I can use my spells to confuse them long enough to get the needed things." He commented as if it was no more difficult than lifting a book. She'd rarely heard people speak of magic so easily and it was a little intimidating. "It will not hurt them but you did say I needed to remain stealthy in my actions here."

"Yes I suppose, I just don't like the idea of messing with people's minds, someone in the past used to do it to people a lot and he was just…a scourge on humanity." She answered him honestly. "I don't think I've ever felt evil like his before."

Which reminded her of dark energy that had heralded this man's arrival…he seemed reasonable (which was already better than her first encounter with Inuyasha) and kind but demons had sometimes acted nice to further evil plans they had. She had to remind herself that she didn't fully know this person - she shouldn't trust him so easily…

"It will not cause them damage, more than likely they simply won't remember the influence at all." He reassured her, he was well practiced in pretending to be kind after all. That fool Alicia had provided him that much at least. "You did say it would be difficult otherwise."

"I suppose so…" she repeated, nodding a little. She was hesitant but she couldn't still sense the darkness around him - perhaps it was just a fleeting thing but she knew she should keep an eye on him. "I've just had bad luck with many of the people I've met that use magic."

"Though you use it yourself." He commented, a bit curious, the more he knew of this girl the easier it would be to adjust her will to his whims without casting a spell at all.

"Well, not really…today was the first time I ever used it consciously…and well…I still don't even know what I did." She shrugged some. "I told you before it was never something I was trained in."

"That is true." He nodded, it was obvious she wouldn't trust him easily…just meant he needed to be careful but he'd been playing the nice guy for some time now…he could for a while longer. "I hope that I can prove to you that not all casters are to be mistrusted. So, I am an exchange student…what sort of school?"

"Um…junior high school." She had nearly forgotten that he didn't know things here…he was already starting to pick up more of a natural accent and using more complicated phrases than before. _"Perhaps he was just still disoriented, no one learns that quickly."_

"I meant what does it teach." He rephrased the question, glancing to the table and the lack of further pizza - covering the frown that followed the missing food after only a moment - he shouldn't eat further anyway - it might only make him sick.

"Oh, well, it doesn't really specialize in anything in particular you can take different sorts of classes but mostly general stuff like math and sciences." She explained, launching into a further explanation of the Japanese school system as she moved to get them each a soda.

She was explaining for nearly an hour when she heard the door opening and then her mother calling. "Kagome?"

"In the kitchen mom." She yelled back. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay dear…what's the matter…oh we have a guest." The older lady smiled kindly to Lezard and her daughter, carrying grocery bags in her hands over to the counter and setting them down. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

His stomach growled just enough for him to hear.

"That would be very kind of you. Thank you." He answered with a deep nod. "I am Lezard Valeth."

"Lezard…what a funny name." The lady commented but paused to bow lightly. "It's good to meet another of Kagome's friends, she doesn't bring people home often."

"Yeah mom about that…" Kagome offered sheepishly. "I sorta signed up a while ago as a back up for exchange student housing and one of the other volunteers had to pull out so…"

Her mom caught on quick. "Kagome, you should ask me if you are going to sign up for something like that. But I suppose it's okay as long as they try to find another home in the meantime. I wouldn't want him to just have no where to stay."

"Thanks mom, I'm sorry…I'll try to get it worked out with the school soon." She promised and nodded her head. "You're the best."

"Thank you for your hospitality." Lezard added kindly. "Let me know if there is anything I can do for you."

"I'm sure grandpa will take you up on that request…" Kagome chuckled. "I wouldn't offer the same to him."

"Wouldn't offer me what?" The old man didn't have too bad of hearing just yet and had caught the comment as he walked into the kitchen.

"Um, nothing, nothing at all. Hehe." Kagome awkwardly answered as she held her hands in front of her innocently.

"Mmm." He eyed her skeptically. "I'm gonna head out to clean up some boxes that fell over in the shrine warehouse yesterday. Let me know when dinner is ready."

He grumbled about 'young people' as he left the room.

"Shrine?" Lezard asked curiously.

"We run an old shrine here…well grandpa does mostly. It's mostly a tourist attraction." She explained. "He takes his work really really seriously. If you were to volunteer your time you'd be cleaning for months."

"I see, then I shall refrain from that." He answered her as he glanced after the older man.

"Kagome, your friend may stay in the den…you'll need to help him set up the folding bed though. You can work on that while I prepare dinner." Her mom commented, she wasn't one to stay angry and tended to be understanding of things that happened. If this person needed a place to stay he needed a place to stay - and as he was an exchange student it would look poor on Japan to just turn him out after all.

"You really are awesome mom." Kagome smiled to her mother, and felt bad for lying to her but she couldn't just betray Lezard's trust either, nodding to him and motioning him to follow as she moved into the room that was their den. After her father's death they'd never used the room much - it had always been his room and she figured her mom didn't want to be there much - probably had painful memories for her. It had become a makeshift room for guests over the years. It was a little cluttered with other stuff but it had a bed that folded out of one of the walls - which saved a lot of space.

"We'll need to pile these boxes over there to get to the bed." She said, picking one up to start the work. "You seem to be doing better with Japanese."

"Yes." He agreed, moving to follow suit with her example…he wasn't one for physical labor but at the moment a bed sounded very worth the work. "I am beginning to remember more and picking up things as I hear you and others speak. It will still take some time but soon enough I should be able to speak normally again."

"Well, tomorrow is Thursday so we'll have to go to the school and I'll get you set up with all the paperwork, after school we should find the time to browse the library for applicable books." She explained. "Hopefully we'll be able to find something for you without needing to hit the larger libraries downtown."

"You are quite the optimist." He commented. "Your family is interesting, I think I'll enjoy my stay here."

"I'm glad…" she was interrupted as her brother burst into the room.

"Hey Kagome, do you know where I left my baseball glove?" He paused to look at the guy sharing the room. "Who's that."

"This is Lezard." Kagome answered with a sigh. "He's an exchange student that will be staying with us for a little while."

"Neat, where is he from?" Souta lost interest in his glove as his attention switched.

"Germany. I think I saw your glove out in the warehouse last time I was out there." Kagome replied, hoping to get of her little brother - she loved him but he was annoying.

"Oh, neat. Later then Kagome, Lezard. I'm eating dinner at a friends so I won't see you probably until tomorrow." And off he ran in pursuit of his glove.

"That's Souta." Kagome explained. "He's my little brother, he's all right but he's pretty annoying sometimes, just tell him to go away if he's getting to you. If he bugs you too much let me know and I'll deal with it."

"Hmm, I never had siblings." Lezard commented neutrally.

"It has both good and bad parts, but mostly good…I couldn't imagine life without the dork." Kagome chuckled, reaching up to pull down the bed from the wall, folding the mattress down. "Now then…ah here."

She found the linen and started making up the double mattress for him.

"What a convenient design." He observed the saving of space by the way the bed was built into the wall. "I never considered something like that."

"Yeah, not too many people have them but it's nice when we have a guest." She smiled. "I hope it's comfortable enough, some people don't seem to like it."

"It will suffice better than dirt." he reassured her with a small smile. "You have done much for me Kagome, I hope I'll be able to repay you by opening your portal for you again."

"Well, we'll get to work on that tomorrow." She settled a pillow on the top of the covers as she finished, sitting on the side of the bed. "If not that is all right, I want to help you how I can though. You must have been put here for a reason after all."

"I believe myself beyond the strands of fate." He replied, settling himself on the bed but not too near her, he was very tired after the days events but still wanted to eat a bit more, his stomach was still growling at him and he'd kept the pizza down well enough that he figured it was safe. "Though perhaps you are right, it's hard to truly know such things."

"Very true." She chuckled a bit. "It's nice though to have someone that can understand where I've been…"

It wasn't as if she could tell most people she traveled through time and fought demons, even if it was just for a while…helping this sorcerer find his way home was a great distraction from the pain Inuyasha being torn from her life had caused.

She yawned then. "I don't think I'm going to join you for dinner if you don't mind. I'm tired and school starts early. I'll see you in the morning Lezard."

"Sleep well." He wished her and glanced after his odd savior before retreating back down toward the lovely smell in the kitchen.

**End Chapter**

Lezard in junior high school! Heh, I'd love to see him in the uniform at least. This chapter was sooooo hard to write. I'm trying to keep Lezard in character - his niceness I hope I justified enough during the chapter though. He can't exactly be mean as hell and hope for help from Kagome after all. Anyway, my one review made me squee and it's why I worked on continuing this. Many many thanks to my reviewer.

-Nera


	4. Class and Enigma

**Chapter Four: Class and Enigma**

_There is something dreadfully treacherous about saying goodbye to those you cherish._

_To release one that you love, a piece of your heart -even for a moment- holds some level of ache. For a short time perhaps it is only a slight twinge, something easily forgotten in the business of life from day to day…but when it becomes a longer period; a week, a month, a year? With each passing day the hole left by that deficiency of warmth grows. Some people say time makes distance easier, to them I say you are only fooling yourself._

_The phrase that 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' is a cruel one…for I find myself already smitten with that which is being so ruthlessly kept from me. I do not need time to know that I want to spend each moment, each day and night next my chosen love…absence cannot not strengthen what already cannot be broken._

_And so my tears, should you see them, are ones of anger, sadness bred from the lies of those whose love is less strong than mine…_

**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

The resemblance to Hojo was uncanny.

Kagome found herself staring at Lezard as he headed out of the boys locker room dressed in the uniform for the male students of her school. His hair was brown though just a shade lighter and he let it grow longer than hojo and fall into face a tad more. His eyes weren't the boring brown color of hojo's, instead she was met by a steely violet gaze from behind the intellectual glasses. Though his features were similar otherwise, he had the same basic build and height.

From a distance it would be easy to mistake him for Kagome's old crush, it was several moments before she caught herself staring and looked away, doing her best to act like the pink on her cheeks wasn't actually there by picking up some conversation.

"There, it fits you well. We'll need to pick you up a second uniform before we leave but as we're already late to class we should probably hurry so Ms. Hanamoto won't be angry with us. "Come on."

She started away, expecting that he would follow. The morning had actually gone amazingly well, the way people just seemed to listen to whatever story Lezard told them and then respond as if it were complete truth was nerve-racking. Sure, he'd told her that he wouldn't use it unless needed…but he didn't seem to have any guilty feelings about playing around in people's heads either. It made the high school girl a little nervous, her attitude only stressing her further whenever she looked at him and he seemed bored when they reached her classroom.

"_What did I get myself into?"_ She pondered before shaking her head and speaking up. "Lezard, I'm going to get the teacher and pull her outside so we can explain. Okay?"

Lezard was still pondering his new outfit, it wasn't nearly as elegant as he would prefer, and the shoes were very uncomfortable compared to his usual leather boots. The school had thus far been tedious and he didn't expect actual classes to vary much from his days back at the academy. "Sounds fine Kagome. I'll continue the same story as we have set it up thus far. Exchange student from Germany and such…"

He offered her a light smile, however irritating the farce was beginning to become he needed to offer a friendly face, he could sense that she was starting to have second thoughts. _"I wonder if you have any idea what I really am? Just how much can she sense with those holy powers of hers?"_

He pondered the girl as she disappeared into the classroom, violet eyes glancing it over…he had to admit that while the state of dress wouldn't be smiled upon in his normal dimension that he wouldn't mind seeing Lenneth in one of these uniforms. Perhaps this country wouldn't be completely intolerable after all, he would need to make sure to attain one of the outfits before his return. The way Lenneth would respond when he asked her to wear such a thing alone would be worth the trouble in attaining it.

The teacher came out alone and Kagome returned to a seat in the classroom, raising her hands and seeming to be a little sheepish about whatever she was saying to the other female students around her. Her smile was a little strained. _"She doesn't like to lie. Hmm."_

"Excuse me, are you listening?" The teacher had been forced to address him a second time. The older woman having similar features to most of the locals here, dark hair and almond eyes…shorter than him but with a serious expression on her face. Dressed in a longer skirt and different colored clothing than the other females - likely a sign of her higher status as an instructor.

He offered a more polite but still softened smile and bowed a little as he had observed many people do during his few minutes on the train that took them here. "I apologize ma'am, it was a long trip. I have the paperwork here to induct me into the class. My Japanese is still at a rough level but I am certain I will develop it quickly."

He handed over the folder that had been given to him by the principle after their talk earlier…that exchange had required more magical influence but he didn't feel the need to use energy he didn't have now. Even the memory-altering enchantment he'd tossed out earlier had left him dizzier than he would like. It wasn't something he planned to make a habit of - at least until he was adequately recovered.

The teacher offered him a skeptical glance and read over the notes in the folder, he heard her sigh and mutter. "They need to let me know these things ahead of time."

Lezard meanwhile just waited.

"All right, Lezard." She took a moment to pronounce his name as it had been written in the folder. "There are a few open desks in the back of the room. Sit where you will until I can get the class seating reassigned. We are just starting the math portion of the class, there are some extra books on the shelves under the windows near the front. I will have Kagome get you copies of the rest of the textbooks you'll need during lunch. Come inside."

She seemed in a hurry to get back to work. Though hard work in teachers was something Lezard could respect after some of his lazy professors at the magic school his parents had sent him too. He moved inside and ignored the dozens of eyes on him as he went over and got the book she'd mentioned before heading toward a seat. Smiling lightly when he noted some of the stares he was getting.

"Class. This is Lezard Valeth. He is an exchange student from Germany that will be joining our class for the rest of the semester. Kagome's family was kind enough to take him in for that time." The teacher explained as he walked toward his desk. "You will have time to speak socially later, we need to get started on our algebra work."

"He's a cutie Kagome." Yuki whispered to her from the desk beside her.

"Yeah, you get all the good ones." Ayumi complained in a small whine. "You aren't getting out of talking about this though after class. He looks like Hojo."

"I like his eyes." Eri observed.

The girls giggled until they were quieted by the teacher glaring at them threateningly…

"_Why always me?"_ Kagome wanted to sink into her desk. _"I knew they would be interested but god…I didn't really think this through. I should have made him wait somewhere else during the day while I was in school…I need to learn to disappear…"_

_**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**_

The school day was only more troublesome from there. She was ducking questions and weaving around the various comments being thrown her way after lunch when Lezard stuck around her to eat as opposed to moving to speak with any of the other boys. It wasn't a common thing for her class to mix genders during the school meal and it just had created a larger buzz.

She was frazzled and glad to be sitting as the train took them toward their stop. Lezard meanwhile was lost in one of the many books they checked out of the school's library. She had to smile some, he was such a nerd, he hadn't put any of the books down sense they picked them out.

"_Nerd or not he's smarter than me."_ She admitted to herself with a pout. _"In class today I think he could have taken over for the teacher on some of the subjects when he was asked questions."_

Though when he'd kept going on about the answer to one particular science question the teacher had finally interrupted him and he seemed pretty angry about it and stopped offering free answers. She had stopped calling on him though after one of the sessions and Kagome wasn't aware he'd augmented her brain to ignore him for such things, he had better things to do than worry about things he already knew.

"Anything useful?" She finally asked him after several minutes to relax after the jumpy day, curious about his research - she missed her friends in the feudal era far more than she wanted to openly admit - even Inuyasha despite his betrayal.

He didn't even glance up from his reading, though he registered the question. "There are some interesting things here but none thus far that have the qualities I would consider what we need."

"Um…before you get too involved, will you help me some tonight with my Algebra…you seemed really good at math and I'm not nearly as gifted with it. The teacher even mentioned moving you to a more advanced math class for parts of the day." She asked, she didn't want to bug him too much but she had fallen so far behind during her months fighting Naraku and the influence of the sacred jewel.

"You are intelligent." He paused to consider her, he knew people back in the academy that needed tutors but usually they were a complete loss for mental capacity. "Why aren't you doing well?"

That made her blush a tinge and she shook her head. "I just missed so many days of class that all the lessons seem so jumbled. It's really hard to make sense of the notes that my friends give me so I'm barely passing right now."

It would take time away from his research…but even Lezard Valeth knew that the world was all about trading, usually he didn't have to lower himself to do so but it seemed a fair thing to help her with given she was giving him food, shelter, and money while he was staying here. He didn't wish to irritate his good luck of late by being negative toward one of it's sources. "I will help tutor you with it. Though I am a strict teacher and won't abide nonsense."

For a moment she wanted to giggle at his comments, his features were so boyish that such a serious statement was sort of adorable - in the way a child being very frank would be. Though she only smiled at him, grateful that he would help and a little afraid if she laughed he would take back the help. "Thank you Lezard, you are a lifesaver."

She went back to looking out the window then as if he'd made her whole day better. Which only gained her a lingering violet pair of eyes a moment longer before he shook his head at her odd behavior and turned back to the text. _"Well, lifesaver…I can honestly say no one has used that word to describe me before."_

He was a tad amused at the totally mistaken description of his person, she was certainly a unique individual herself compared to the normal company he kept. He would do his best not to harm her, she reminded him some of the gentler sides of his dear Valkyrie and that was a trait too many humans were without.

"Kagome, there you are." Ayumi headed over, Yuki and Eri rode different trains home but sometimes Ayumi went to her mothers and other times her fathers as they were separated. So some days she was on this train - which this just happened to toss Kagome back into the odd lying demeanor she'd been forced to have all day. "Keeping this cutie all to yourself huh?"

The compliment, while heard and taken in, didn't draw Lezard from his book, he new he was the best, other people confirming it didn't usually require his attention.

"Um, he's staying at my house Ayumi." Kagome reminded, holding up her hands in her usual embarrassed manner. "It makes sense we would ride together, besides, you usually don't go to your dad's on Thursdays."

"Yeah I know but my mom is out of town." She answered, holding one of the grips from the roof of the train car and still standing. "Glad that you are feeling better though, did it hurt getting your tonsil's out?"

"_At least that was fairly original and sane." _Kagome considered her grandfather's latest excuse. _"Hope I never really need them out. Right when grandpa gets good at the excuses he won't have to use them anymore."_

"Yeah, I recovered pretty quick the doctors said." Kagome returned, hating to lie but having gotten very good at it over the past few years. "My throat still hurts a little."

"I'm not surprised. Your brother said the surgery was just last weekend." Ayumi stated. "I guess getting sick all the time is helping you get better faster."

"Maybe." Kagome agreed. _"And so much for giving Grandpa credit, should have known it wasn't him I need to thank Souta for all the covering he's helped do."_

"Oh hey, we were gonna have a party this weekend at one of the parks with a bunch of the kids from class. Before it gets too cold you know?" Ayumi exclaimed, putting a fist in her other hand as she remembered. "We thought we let everyone know, but you just got back to school. You should come and bring Lezard, the kids got a fund together to order a bunch of pizza's and we're setting up beach ball and some other games."

"Oh, um, I dunno…" Kagome started but was interrupted by Lezard.

"That sounds nice, I'd like to go…" Lezard looked up from his book then, pizza had gotten his attention - that was such a good food. "If Kagome can make it that is."

"We'll try to be there Ayumi." Kagome agreed with a bit of surprise at his reply. "I'd like to be able to get out more while I'm feeling better."

"Neat! Well, this is my stop. I hope you both can make it, but if not, see you at school tomorrow." She waved and dashed off when the doors slid open.

"You really want to go? It'll take away from study time…" Kagome mentioned, curious as to the young man's motives.

"I can still read while I'm there, and you seemed as if you'd like to be with your friends more often. That and we can have pizza…seems like a wonderful idea." He replied, already back to reading. "If you'd rather not go, then we do not need to go."

"_Okay…so all men think with their stomachs." _She observed after that comment. _"Maybe Inuyasha wasn't so uncommon of a guy after all…"_

That thought was sobering, she shouldn't be comparing everyone she met to Inuyasha…though her heart was still hurting the busy time she'd been having was a welcome distraction. She had barely had a few moments to herself to think, more or less cry, though the sudden recall of her first crush was bringing tears to her eyes and making her hate herself and him more…she didn't want to burst into tears in public.

Not about him, not about anything…it was so embarrassing…but now that she had thought about it again it was like the visions wouldn't leave her…she kept seeing him kiss Kikiyo…and she hated it, and she hated herself for hating them…and it was so frustrating that it was hard to keep the tears back. She was digging her nails into her legs to keep them back when the feel of cloth against her hand drew her moist brown eyes up to meet Lezard's violet ones.

His expression was hard to read but the gesture was the first kind one she'd had while feeling so dejected, she fought a moment longer but her willpower failed her…she needed to cry. She burst into tears and leaned on his shoulder, leaving a completely bewildered Lezard with his arms awkwardly on her back, the text temporarily forgotten in face of this new enigma.

**End Chapter**

The opening for this was inspired from rl happenings atm (my husband is currently away from home for the military and I'm sad to be without him)…I did however alter it to fit a more Lezard styled mindset. I'm not quite as much of a nutter. I think I write better when I'm sad - which is sort of…well sad I guess for lack of a better word.

_-Nera_

_P.S. Thank you for the reviews minaseiko1, it's nice to see at least one person is interested in my really odd pairing. And yeah, lezard was fiddling with people's brains left and right so he could tolerate Japanese school society. I figure he'd have an array of spells that weren't in the games if he was so good at working in a discreet way when he wanted._


	5. Lingering Wounds

**Chapter Five:** _Lingering Wounds_

_What more a difficult thing for thoughts to linger on than that which you wanted and never truly possessed. To have reached for and failed to touch a equally outstretched hand. To have watched that for which you so thirst touch the lips of another?_

_There are pains that no time can manage to control. That leave scars that will never mend, and the people that tell you eventually you'll move on. Those are the people that are lying to themselves as well as you in a disastrous effort to ease their own pain._

_No one ever forgets the sharp pain that accompanies the cold shoulder._

**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

They would be to their destination soon and he was a bit bewildered as to what he should do with the girl crying on his shoulder. It would be pressing her good nature to push her away. At the very least she smelled pleasantly, like a spring breeze with a slight floral texture. Thankfully he wasn't left debating the issue for long, she pulled away again wiping at her eyes and getting off when it was their stop. He followed quietly, ignoring the stares they had earned for the outburst.

"I'm sorry." She was still half crying as she spoke. "I just...I don't know..."

When they began to move up the steps to the shrine she tripped and barely missed slamming her head into the concrete. Lezard shook his head lightly and settled on the steps next to her. "What is wrong?"

"I shouldn't even be crying right now. You don't know me and you have your own problems." She seemed to genuinely feel guilty for bursting into tears, but also seemed unable to stop. "It's just...the reason I wanted onto the other side of the well...I left the first boy I ever loved there and he can't remember me anymore. He is with someone else and...I just...it's awful."

Being separated from the one you love or having the one you love caring about someone else was something Lezard was intimately familiar with. He had rarely cried for his love of his Valkyrie Lenneth in the worst times when he was designing her new body.

Empathy was something with which he was often forced to pretend to know. Though to some level he understood why she was crying. He had been placed with more a kindred soul than he may have originally realized. He settled a hand on her back and let her cry on his shoulder, it would have been less of a bother if he wouldn't have seemed cold for continuing to read. Instead he passively rubbed her back as he eyed the sky, the clouds were looking ominous again and he wasn't surprised when rain began to hit them lightly.

_"Now if I could just get Lenneth to want to cry on my shoulder so freely." _He mentally sighed but was relieved when she looked around at the rain and only sniffled instead of continuing to sob gently.

"I'm sorry again...we should get inside." She jumped all the way to her feet as thunder cracked loudly and the rain picked up more.

Then she began to dash up the stairs, though Lezard wasn't too far behind. Physical excursion wasn't his favorite thing, particularly when he was still recovering from the massive wounds he'd incurred. His outer body was well enough thanks to the girls magic but he still needed to rest. Something he discovered more fully as he had to sit on the floor inside her home to try to catch his breath after the run, his lungs burned in a fiery reminder of just how damage had been caused.

"Lezard...are you okay?" She was next to him but he was still gasping for air but nodding toward her question. It was becoming more obvious that they had done significant more damage than he had originally accessed. "I should have remembered that you were almost dead yesterday. Stupid Kagome. Stay here...I'll get you a towel."

Another intake of breath was her only reply and doubted he would have been able to move if he'd wanted to. _"Some grand necromancer I am at the moment, reduced to wheezing on a commoner's floor."_

The lack of power is what irritated him the most. He hated to rely on anything other than the creatures he made himself. Even if Kagome had been exceptionally kind, he was getting quickly more frustrated at the fluxes in his health. The towel she offered was warm and she felt like she had some sort of fever. He eyed her and the concern across her face made him realize he must have been deathly cold.

"My goodness Lezard, are you sure I shouldn't call a doctor?" She sat next to him, her chocolate gaze filled with innocent worry for his situation.

His breath was coming a little easier and the cold wasn't something he was unaccustomed to feeling. There was often a similar side effect of the grander necromantic magic so he wasn't too unused to it. He took Kagome's hand mostly out of a fear she'd run off and get someone if he didn't hold on, it was uncomfortably warm but he would suffer though. A doctor would only complicate things.

"Lezard, you are cold as ice..." she voice trembled a little but she shook her head and seemed to resolve herself. "Can you at least stand so we can get you to the couch?"

He wasn't sure he should, his breath was only now evening out and his lungs were still screaming at him despite the chill that had taken over his body. More exertion wasn't likely to end well, but the thought of sitting on the floor next to the door all night got him to nod to her breathlessly.

She immediately moved to help him and it was a battle both to not sneer at how weak he must look at that moment and also not to pass out during the short walk to the family's couch. Her body had become more akin to touching fire but it was better than falling on his face.

It was out of a paranoid habit that he'd kept grasp on her arm, and he was glad he did as she had started to move off again. "Lezard, come on...you are absurdly cold...I have to get blankets."

He didn't want to risk her finding someone else in her run for blankets...it was getting painful to touch her but it was the sort of pain he wanted just so he could leech some heat from her. "Stay."

"Lezard."

"Please."

She bit her lip but sat down next to the couch, pulling the one blanket they kept near there to toss over his body as best she could. "You are still obviously sick Lezard, why do you want to avoid seeing a doctor so much?"

"There isn't anything your sort of doctor could do Kagome." He closed his eyes, frowning further as a wave of dizziness hit him. He wouldn't be able to argue with her much longer so it seemed wiser to discourage her in another way.

Kagome was half afraid the strange boy was going to die from hypothermia on her couch, his skin was already pale but he was looking deathly as he lay there telling her there wasn't anything anyone she knew could do.

Her magic was unrefined but if it closed his wounds before then maybe she'd be able to help him now. She closed her eyes and instead of having him grasp her arm took one of his hands, it was difficult to concentrate when it seemed like she was holding a ice cube in the middle of a blizzard just by touching him but after a few minutes of trying she managed to recreate the same golden glow that she had the night before.

Practice apparently would make a difference cause she was able to hold it for a longer period, until she felt the chill leave him. She didn't pass out but she felt extremely exhausted by the time she'd finished.

Lezard didn't realize he was receiving magical healing until she was nearly finished, purple gaze staring at the holy aura around the girl when she cast. With the correct training she could be a caster of incredible power. It was the second time she'd saved him from at least a very uncomfortable evening if not death. Without a motion of asking for anything for herself, the concept was bizarre to him but he was thankful to have been left at such a place.

"You going to be all right?" He spoke first after she offered him a tired smile. "You shouldn't draw so much on your power when you are untrained. It will exhaust you faster."

"What was I suppose to do?" It was immediately obvious in the smallest of slurs in her voice that she was tired after the casting. "You wouldn't let me get a doctor and you were passing out and perhaps the coldest thing I've ever felt."

"I'm not saying I fail to appreciate your efforts in any way. But if you make yourself sick in the process it is a bit self defeating." He commented. "Will your family be home soon?"

"Mom is working late, Grandpa is off on some convention for old people that run shrines or something for new ways of bringing in customers." She rolled her eyes a little at that. "Souta I think is still staying at a friends house so mom probably won't be home for another couple hours."

It was always good to know a vague window of the times he had to work with. He sat up and was glad to not need the blanket she'd tossed over him. Pulling his hand from hers for the first time. Casting like that was bound to make her hungry and she'd need sustenance to keep from making herself ill. As much as he hated the idea he knew if he didn't watch her health that he might miss out on a needed healing spell at a critical moment. Survival being the foremost thing on his mind he helped her sit on the couch.

"You'll need to eat something..." He was at a loss as to what he should do for her. He had never learned to cook himself, at least at any level he would feed to the person that might be needed to heal him again. Usually he summoned his food but after his recent reactions with even the smallest of cantrips he was wary to be as free with his power as he once was.

"There should be some cookies and soda near the fridge, in the kitchen...I can warm something up later but you are right, I'm pretty tired." She commented, thinking casting spells might be like giving blood...maybe she needed to raise her blood sugar.

He disappeared into the kitchen, returning after a while with the whole box of soda and a couple boxes of cookies. She giggled a little as he set them on the table. "How much do you think I can eat."

He waited for her to do what she would with the apparent food and sat down on the other side of the couch from where she had wrapped the blanket around herself.

When she didn't get a answer she opened the box for a soda and then pealed back the seal on the oreo's. She usually didn't like her coke warm but she figured if he was bringing it to her she probably shouldn't walk just yet. "Thank you."

"I should say the same. This is one admist many times you've helped me." He only said it aloud so she knew he hadn't mistaken her kindness, women seemed to like it when you let them know you were watching. Except for dear Lenneth.

"I'm glad I could." She sipped at the soda, even warm it was good to have something. "It's good to know that I've helped."

And in that regard she was at least like other women.

She seemed as if she would recover well enough, people with a natural gift usually tended to bounce back quickly from such things. Lezard himself rarely had to worry about using his magic, of course, having been nearly cut in half the day prior was leaving his abilities far more stressed than he liked.

"Can we work on math for a while?" The question caught him off guard but he nodded. If that is what she wished then he would oblige. His own studies would have to wait until he could find time at her school the next day. Making sure the person fixing him wasn't falling apart was a priority that could not be ignored.

**End Chapter**

More plot stuff, a semi-still sick Lezard ( :( ), an awesome Kagome all healing him and stuff and being her usual super emotional self. I know my updates aren't super common but I do actually bizarrely enjoy writing this couple.

_-Nera_

Reviewer folk:

minaseiko1 - I hope you are still reading and such and continue to enjoy my odd pairing here.

Cherricia - It's too bad you didn't like Inuyasha much but I understand. Everyone has their likes and dislikes after all. Yes it's pretty hard to keep his attitude IC. I hope you keep on reading.

Mischievous L.A. - I also love Lezard muchly. He's up there with Jade and Albel for me as far as video game characters go. He's just so awesome.


	6. Feverish Kiss

**Chapter Six:** _Feverish Kiss_

_Perhaps one amongst the many quoted lies of love is true. That to look past, but never completely recover, from one love one must be able to find another. Is it not the nature of those that have lost love and found themselves with a void that cannot be filled to search for a way to relieve the emptiness?_

_Yet, not all can react in a responsible way and the casualties of Cupid's arrows are often far reaching beyond those that he originally strikes._

**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

Kagome loved Friday's.

Sure she'd have a little extra homework, but not only was the weekend coming up she got to attend her chorus club at the high school. It was a little nerve wracking to leave Lezard but as he was absorbed in dozens of books in the library she didn't feel that it would be too bad for her to wander off for a while.

It was good to spend a few hours with her friends talking about things until he was brought up again. It was a fight to convince the trio she wasn't dating the cute young 'exchange student' but worse once they'd decided she should date him now that her relationship with the 'abusive Inuyasha' was over.

Once she'd been reminded of Inuyasha she decided to excuse herself. The only good part of her years of faked sickness was it was easy to say she was feeling a little off to get out of being somewhere. Though she was still nervous about going to the school gathering with the violet haired boy she was sharing her home with. If he had another episode on the beach it would be impossible to hide what she was from the people there.

A smile pulled at her lips though when she rounded into the library and saw him glancing between four books at once with dozens of others piled nearby. Though given the dirty looks the librarian was offering they apparently didn't like him having rearranged the furnature so he could access two desks at the same time.

He was intent on his studies though, when he had told Kagome he meant to find as much out as he could he definitely hadn't been joking with her. His soft face had more drawn lines whenever he was settled that way, making him appear a little older and much more serious.

"The library closes in ten minutes you know." Kagome pointed out softly as she reached the corner where he'd more or less secluded himself for the majority of the afternoon.

"Hmm?" He glanced up as if he hadn't heard a word of what she said and then frowned when she repeated herself. "Already?"

"It closes early on friday's cause of the weekend." She explained. "Wanna check out. I'd like to catch the next train if we can. Mom has to leave for the weekend and let Souta keep staying at his friends house. So I'd like to stop at the grocery shop for food as we'll be on our own over the weekend."

"Oh." He nodded and stood up, picking up two volumes he hoped to pursue in some of the time they apparently had. Walking over to check them out, the library had always been his favorite escape at the academy and this was looking like it was going to be a repeat experience.

The librarian still seemed pretty unhappy at the way they were leaving things but Kagome could only offer an apologetic look as they headed out of the room and toward the train stop. "Lezard, you really shouldn't just leave things like that in the library."

"They're paid to put things back in order correct? They shouldn't complain about it." He shrugged like that was all there was to it. "If everyone was required to put things back then they wouldn't have a job."

Kagome sighed a bit, that wasn't quite the point she was going for but felt like arguing would be sort of like talking to a wall. "Well, anything you want sense we're shopping for just us?"

"Pizza?"

_"Men." _She shook her head negatively. "We're going tomorrow for Pizza remember. I like to have other stuff sometimes."

"Right." He nodded a little, seeming vaguely disappointed but not pressing the issue. "Whatever you think I might like. Your cuisine is all rather different from what I'm used to."

"Okay." She seemed to be considering and so he returned to reading for the extent of the ride. He was coming across a few things that were possibly promising but not too much, he had more limited options in this world. Kagome and her own portal to another time might be his best chance at finding a way back to his dimension.

They made a stop at the store and after she picked out a bunch of packages and had them bagged before paying for them. Right on back to her home at the shrine and he had headed to his room to continue his research while she cooked.

He raised a brow when she popped her head into his room.

"Hey, I'm gonna go our real quick cause were out of one of the sauces I need." She smiled just a little sheepishly. "I wanted to let you know. I'll try to be back quick."

He nodded some, it was good to know more or less that she'd be delayed, returning to his reading after she left. Though he was only a few pages in when his vision blurred slightly. He knew his glasses were intact, they had perhaps more magic in them than most of his array of items...but then he realized it wasn't the glasses.

He tossed a bookmark in and closed it in annoyance. He had only cast a single small cantrip that day to get the librarian to stop bothering him about having so many books at once. _"What the hell did that vile creature do to me?"_

He remembered the battle well enough, how it enraged him that the little weakling had absorbed his lady love to attack him. With her own strength of course it never would have been enough so instead she'd stolen Lenneth from him. It had been a deep cut, pierced one of his lungs and severed part of his spine as well as major damage to several areas. A normal human wouldn't have survived the blow.

It was several days later though and he'd received several powerful healing spells, he shouldn't continue to relapse. Though the effect had changed sense the day prior, he could tell he was feverish given even after he'd taken off his jacket and tie he was still extremely warm. The battle kept playing through his head in a detail that was irritating. He doubted they realized he let them win so he wouldn't have to kill the creature housing his Valkyrie's soul.

Then other memories filtered through his mind. His parents, years at the acadamy, the many times he'd run into and failed to earn Lenneth's love, those in particular were things that were haunting him.

By the time Kagome had returned and headed up to let him know she was going to get everything done for dinner soon his fever had left him hallucinating. When Kagome opened his door she had to blink at the disheveled look that had replaced the perfectly groomed look she normally saw him with. His hair was a little messed and the white shirt worn beneath the jacket with the school uniforms was half unbuttoned. Showing a part of the thin scar that ran across his pale chest, hard to make out.

"Lenneth." Kagome blinked in confusion when he said it. "Why do you continue to deny what you know you feel."

"Uh Lezard." She was staring at him still perplexed by his reaction and appearance. "Are you okay?"

"How couldn't I be okay with you here now my beloved." When he slid himself up next to her she found herself blushing and unable to even sputter. "I feared I may have lost you after you allowed that weak girl to absorb you."

_ "What the hell is he talking about? _Kagome backed away some but found herself against a wall within a couple short steps. "Lezard, are you okay...who are you talking about?"

The way he looked at her made her belly attempt to do jumping jacks. It was like he wanted to possess her in a way she could never fully understand. His violet eyes seemed to burn with hunger she wasn't sure she wanted to fully understand. She wasn't prepared for it when he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

It was such a instant embrace she didn't know how to react. His lips were soft but his kiss was insistent and demanding, pressing her body to him all before she was even able to finally pull back to take a breath and push him away in protest. "Lezard! I'm not whoever you think I am!"

He paused and seemed to start to realize, backing away and letting her get her footing. She stared at him in shock, her lips still burned and she could still feel the warmth on her skin from his short but electric embrace. It was far more aggressive than she would have expected of him, not really fitting his usual well behaved demeanor.

"Kagome?" He seemed puzzled, as if he was asking her her name.

"Yes. I'm Kagome." She repeated in hopes he wouldn't attack her again...that was already odd enough. She reached out to touch his head and frowned. "Now you have a fever. Just what is wrong with you?"

He pulled away from her hand but didn't react aggressively otherwise. "Where did Lenneth go?"

_"I thought I had it bad."_ She thought to herself with sigh. Was she going to have to heal him again? He seemed on the edge of sanity so it was probably better than letting him forget who she was again.

She blushed a little as she reached out to take his hand, trying to ignore the second confused look he gave her and closing her eyes. It seemed like she was getting better at the whole healing magic thing, it didn't take her nearly as long to summon the golden glow and feel his hand take a more normal temperature by the time she finished.

He wasn't looking at her when she opened her eyes and he'd already taken his hand back. He was buttoning his shirt turned away from her and then putting on his jacket. She wavered a little but steadied herself on the doorframe. It was somehow getting easier. "Lezard...are you all right now."

"Yes." He didn't sound all right, he sounded angry. "Did I hurt you?"

"No." She didn't want to mention that her lips still stung a little. "I just...was surprised...dinner is almost ready. I should check on it."

"Do you need me to help you?" He still hadn't turned her way.

"I should be all right, it wasn't as hard to cast this time..." She commented, leaving him to steady himself and happy to have an excuse to get away for a minute.

She touched her lips as she moved toward the stove to move the boiling pot...the noodles may have been a bit overcooked but she doubted he'd say much after that. _"Did he just steal my first real kiss? Does it even count if he really thought I was someone else?"_

He was back to his usual demeanor when he entered the room as she finished dishing up two plates, setting them at the table and then getting cold coke's today to drink.

"Thank you." He managed, though he still wasn't looking at her. "I'm sorry that I..."

"It's okay." Kagome interrupted him, she didn't want to hear it out loud, just thinking about it had her blushing again. "You were sick again...you didn't do it on purpose. Do you know what's wrong?"

Concentrate on the problem, keep it from happening again.

He glanced at her when she said it was okay, scanning her for signs that she'd lied about it. He was certain he'd somehow screwed up the good fortune he'd had til then. That she would out him or kick him out but she hadn't only fixed him again she was trying to make sure he would be okay in the future.

"I don't know." He answered honestly, still sounding a little angry. The damn sickness had shown him Lenneth, had given him hope for a short moment that she would be concerned for him...that she would taste as heavenly as her hollowed wings were soft.

"Who's Lenneth?" Kagome asked as she watched him, her own eyes held pity. He hated it, hated that any mere mortal would offer him pity, but he was wiser than to react on that emotion. That mere mortal was the only thing keeping him sane and somewhat healthy.

"Lenneth..." he wasn't even certain where to begin.

"You really care about her? But she doesn't return those feelings?" Kagome guessed.

_"How much did I say? I don't even remember speaking." _He eyed her unsure of what course to take, he was starting to hate the woman that was helping him. His body was still not convinced of what his mind now knew, he still had a man's needs and he was doing his best to push away thoughts of attempting to lay with the girl.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't pry...we'll figure it out though. I'll look through Grandpa's collection of old remedies...there might be some sort of story about something like this." Kagome changed the subject back to fixing the problem. Obviously if she didn't want to think about Inuyasha he probably didn't want to think about this Lenneth.

"He has old books we could use?" He appreciated her gift of changing the subject and while he knew what she was doing he jumped at the chance. He needed to get back on task before this sickness got to be too much for him to control.

"Most of them are stuff on the shrine itself but he keeps a lot of books on home remedies." Kagome explained. "Usually they aren't helpful at all but some of them are good. A few of them have been in the family for generations and I guess it's a long shot but we have to find something. I don't want to think about how things would be if I wasn't around and you became ill again."

_"She has no idea I was about to ravage her ten minutes ago."_ Lezard pondered, his eyes scanning along her body with an appreciation only a man could possess for the female form. She was a lovely young thing, probably still a virgin, she tasted a bit like the rare apple candies his mother would buy him when he was young. _"Focus Lezard. You aren't a lecher." If you don't stop gaping like a boy just into the academy you are going to lose your only real ally._

She had apparently noticed his long gaze and was now blushing horribly as she tried to look at her noodles and the table, and the wall, and just about anything that wasn't him.

"I'm sorry Kagome." He hadn't finished much of the meal but he needed to take a break. His control wasn't something he trusted after the nights events so he left her and moved back to the room he was using.

She glanced up after she heard him on the steps. _"God...that was horrible. Did he have to look at me like that right after he...god." _ She shivered a little, touching her lips again. The sensation was just starting to fade and she doubted the memory would leave her for some time. _"Mom won't be home until Monday. What have I gotten myself into this time? He's definitely not what he seems at all."_

She was running herself in circles thinking about the way he'd approached her and...

_"Beloved?"_ She buried her head in her hands. _"Who says that anymore? Should I just be glad he's obsessed with someone that isn't me? What can I really trust sense he obviously wasn't sane right then?"_

Lezard meanwhile was trying to burn away his illness in an extremely hot water bath, even if it burned a little it gave him something to pull his mind away from the less than honorable thoughts he was having about his hostess. The only person he was suppose to consider such things about was Lenneth.

**End Chapter**

I snicker at the idea of Lezard 'punishing' himself over having 'less than honorable' thoughts about someone other than Lenneth...but I can so see him doing it. So, first kiss wasn't quite the norm but yeah...not so much anything is in a pairing like this.

-Nera

Reviewers:

I updated pretty quick and therefore I has none for the last chapter to reply to.


	7. Wicked Splinters

**Chapter Seven:** _Wicked Splinters_

_Trust is perhaps the most fragile, fickle, and fleeting of the many emotions. Like a mirror it is difficult to craft with accuracy and still something that is easily shattered. Once broken it may be able to be put to some level of use but it will never be the same. Even if one manages basic repair there will always remain even the tiniest of cracks visible in the surface. Mocking the onlooker who can never again be reflected in the same way._

**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

"You are coming right?"

Yuka's question was a bit of bad timing for Kagome. She hadn't yet seen Lezard sense the incident the night before. She didn't know if he still wanted to attend the pizza party at the park.

The girl was relieved that her friend had no way to sense the warmth leaking into her cheeks as flashes of the provocative actions Lezard had taken the night before came to mind. When she paused even for a moment to consider she could still clearly remember the sting on her lips and the pressure and warmth of him pressing against her with abandon.

"Kagome? You there?" Yuka seemed to think they might have been disconnected.

"Yeah, I just don't know." That part was honest at least. "Lezard wasn't feeling well last night so I don't know if he'll still want to come and I don't want to just leave him as he just got into the country."

_"When did I get good at this lying stuff?"_

"Someone other than you is sick?" She sounded amazed. Years of Grandpa's tales about her wildly fluctuating health had left an effect. "That's a first. Maybe you should avoid them so you don't catch it. You don't have the best health yourself."

"I think they might have caught the cold Souta had but he got it from me so I should be okay." Kagome frowned a little at just how good at lying to her friends she'd gotten over her year in the feudal era. "I'll try to make it if he can't but it depends on how he's doing."

"I understand." Yuka answered, as if she hadn't really expected Kagome to come along in the first place. "You guys are welcome if you want. Tell Lezard I hope he starts feeling better. Bye Kagome."

She settled down the now warm receiver and glanced warily at the door that lead to the den. Walking in on him if he was still sleeping seemed pretty stupid in the case he was being all insane and seeing things that weren't there again.

"I can't ask him if I don't open the door though...what if he's sick again? Normally he's awake before me and ready before I even get downstairs..." She was chewing her lip as she fought over what course to take.

The clock chimed a gentle noon and it seemed as if she would half to check to make sure he was okay. She approached slowly though and took a deep breath before knocking, hoping he'd just tell her to go away or answer and just been reading.

Her anxiety was justified when after a second, louder series of knocks he still failed to answer. _"Great..."_

She opened the door, glad when he didn't assault her, but the concern for him returning instantly as she gasped at his figure on the bed.

He was nearly naked, only parts of sheets covered his unmentionables and she wasn't sure if he was even clothed beneath those. His skin was a wicked lobster colored red that mixed with deeper oranges and browns where blisters seemed to wrap his form. Almost nothing but his face retained the normal paleness of his appearance, his violet eyes were closed but she couldn't imagine he was all right. It looked as if he had third degree burns covering his whole body.

"What the hell was he doing?" Kagome said it out loud out of a need to hear a voice, even if it was her own. His chest was barely moving but at least he was breathing. He had to be in an incredible amount of pain. _"Once he's fixed I'm gonna beat him. What was he thinking burning himself like this?"_

She winced once she moved closer, the poor lighting with the drapes drawn hadn't allowed her to make it out against the rest of the red before but the long wound on his chest had reopened at some point and was bleeding some sort of black ichor. It was amazing that he was alive at all in the horrible condition he was in.

It wasn't until paper crinkled beneath her feet at her approach that she even noticed what a poor state of disrepair he'd left the den in. The bed's comforter was on the floor, on top of several ripped up pages that seemed as if they were from published book and notebook alike. Strange symbols had been scribbled all over almost any sort of open surface...the papers on the floor as well as the walls and she wasn't even sure how he'd gotten it on the ceiling in his condition.

Her spine shivered as she blinked in disbelief at his chest. Her irritation at the disarray of the den replaced by dread. That was why she had felt something akin to Naraku when he had arrived...there was a aura almost exactly like those of corrupted jewel shards from within the freshly opened wound on his chest. It made her heart skip a beat.

Only after she concentrated did she manage to notice the aura was just slightly different than that of the shard but it still was amazingly similar and the outline of the dark energy was shaped like a splinter which was longer than the shikon jewel could have been in any fragment but didn't make her feel anymore comfortable. It was as if it was part of whatever had cut across his chest had broken off and embedded itself in his body.

_"It must be why he keeps getting sick and is going sort of crazy."_ Kagome reasoned, frowning at the horrible aura that came from the thing. It wasn't too deep but he wasn't normal, something about him let him live through things that she wouldn't come close to surviving. _"God...first aid kit...I took splinters out of parts of everyone when we were traveling."_

She dashed off for the bathroom, already familiar with the supplies she'd need. It was never so close to the chest or lungs when she'd helped her friends...or as large...but she didn't have much of a choice...he'd already said a normal doctor wouldn't be able to treat him and she couldn't risk telling anyone of her double life as a priestess. As long as she got the strange piece out then she should be able to finally heal him and have it stick.

At least, that was what she truly hoped.

His skin seemed to be holding onto warmth as if he had a horrible fever...the burns were so gruesome she did her best not to touch him while she tried to look at where she might be able to get at the sliver of something wicked within his wound. The flesh around the wound looked very weak, as if it was decaying slowly even as she watched. She pulled on some rubber gloves that came with the kit and then picked up the surgical knife she'd sanitized in the kitchen and while the surroundings weren't exactly as clean as she'd prefer she was afraid if she waited he might not last much longer.

Leaving the house was looking far less likely.

**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

Even in unconsciousness he was aptly aware of the pain coursing through everyone of his damaged nerves on his skin and deeper into his chest. Lezard only saw flashes of his past as well as his present and even various flicker's of dozens of possible futures he'd witnessed within the philosopher's stone.

None of the images were things that failed to mock or haunt him, as if his mind was punishing him for his physical pain by inflicting extra jabs to his psyche. Lenneth refused him over and over again, that tended to be the main theme of his visions.

Though it wasn't merely that, it was seeing countless tiny mistakes that might have changed fate in the many times he'd traveled the time steams and dimensions. It was as if the Lord of All Space and Time was denied the one thing his heart was truly set on possessing. He had lost track of the number of times his beloved Valkyrie had managed to make his icy heart melt upon sight and then shatter at her repeated refusals.

One doesn't have to show pain to feel it. His unconscious torture was a tribute to that concept, all anyone watching him would see was a mostly serene expression. Was he to become some colossal joke? Even if he had removed himself from the strands of mortality, would his struggle to attain his Valkyrie even be possible after that blonde bitch had absorbed her soul?

It was impossible to know what other realms she may still exist in, or even if he would be able to find an escape from the one to which he'd been banished.

The thoughts turned, repeated, paused but then replayed again. A void of frustration within his black heart, though the whirlpool of despair was banished when agony seemed to inject itself into his chest.

Violet eyes shot open but his hands refused to move at his will, he couldn't even see past the dots dancing merrily in his blurry vision as he did his best not to scream. He vaguely heard someone murmuring but what he couldn't tell. He wasn't certain if someone intent on trying to get information from him had finally caught up to him or not...but likely they were just as content to simply torture him. It wasn't as if he'd failed to rack up enemies in his countless trips through time.

It seemed an eternity before he could finally make out a brunette woman that had a pair of metal tweezers going at least an inch into the wound on his chest. It was another minute or two before he remembered how he'd gotten there and who she was. _"Saving me again?"_

When she flinched a bit and he gasped at the pain, he wanted to howl but it seemed as if a belt had been wrapped around his lungs and tightened whenever air left without much leeway to let it back in. _"Perhaps not."_

There was an intense and uncomfortable pressure, it felt as if she was going to push the metal instrument into his heart or lungs and finish him off herself. He could only vaguely notice the sting of the tears sliding along his face. Then it all vanished with a final and nearly unbearable sucking sound. He heard the clink of whatever it was before he realized she was pulling something free not trying to cut him open slowly.

Then there was an amazing moment of calm, the storm of suffering cleared with a seraphic breeze as a familiar golden glow encased his body. His breath returned to him and the burning slowly subsided to a nearly perfect comfort. If he hadn't already been asleep (however a poor rest it had been) likely he would have wanted to keep his eyes closed out of a pure desire to hold onto a rare feeling of complete tranquility that accompanied her spell.

She slumped at the side of the bed when she was finished, less able to resist the lure of sleep than he after all of her activity with magic when she was still such a novice. Lezard settled a now pale again hand on her head, petting her hair softly. The necromancer was having a rare moment of true appreciation for her work.

Her face was prettier when she wasn't constantly troubled by the petty details of her life, relaxed and carefree, it made her appear younger. She was cooler than usual though, a sign that she'd started to push the limits of the magic she should call on in a given period of time. Her dark hair and bangs framed her face well and her skin was a just a bit more fair than he had originally believed from other observations.

He took the gloves from her hands, they still had a little blood on them which he was well aware was his. Otherwise his body was clean of any proof of his previous pain but the thin white scar which he could only assume he'd always wear after being the subject of a strike of Odin's blade.

"Speak of the devil..." He noticed the writing on the ceiling and the papers before his gaze was drawn to the thin black line of metal. _"They really were trying to make sure I wouldn't survive...they left a piece of it in my chest when they cut me..."_

It explained all of his issues, the failure to react well when he cast, the constant reopening of his wounds day to day. It was one of the more wicked abilities of the heavenly blade, to lessen itself to make certain it's target would perish even if they were to manage to escape.

He frowned some at the random writing he'd left on the walls and ceiling, it was a sign he had been extremely close to death...he'd been writing back out the formula to recreate the philosopher's stone...it didn't bode well that he hadn't finished the spell before he ceased to be able to move...if the girl hadn't been there...he would have died again...

He pulled her up from the uncomfortable position she'd fainted on the floor with. Replacing her where he'd just taken the bed and covering her. Keeping her warm in the first stages of overdosing on magic would help her revert to normal faster. It wasn't a dangerous point...but if she hadn't realized the problem and fixed it then, he likely wouldn't have had many days left. _"What will I do with you?"_

It was a odd question from him, but he felt indebted for the first time in a very long time to another person. He got dressed as he considered options of doing something for her for the many times she'd rescued him the past few days.

Then he heard her muttering and knew it was likely nightmares, that wasn't uncommon for magic overdosing either. "Inuyasha...no...please don't show me this again...I don't want to watch it anymore..."

Perhaps brew something to make the fellow she loved return her feelings once he'd gotten the portal open again? It wasn't something that would work on his dear Valkyrie (not that he hadn't tried) but a regular mortal would be easier to fall prey to a love spell than a god.

**End Chapter**

Whew, that was actually a difficult chapter to write. At least Lezard's finally gonna be able to really start recovering without his wounds haunting him. Poor Kagome all having nightmares about Inuyasha.

_-Nera_

To my reviewer:

minaseiko1 - Yay my one big fan! You always keep me coming back when I'm wondering if anyone actually reads this story. Though I think you might be the only one. Yes the kiss was awkward for sure. I already has some plans for the next chapter but it depends on how I'm feeling after dental work tomorrow if I'll feel up to working on it soon or not. Thanks for all the awesome feedback!


	8. Into the Black Forest

_Warning:_ This chapter contains adult themes that I consider dark.

**Chapter Eight:** _Into the Black Forest_

_Yesterday is History,  
'tis so far away --  
yesterday is Poetry,  
'tis Philosophy --_

Yesterday is Mystery --  
Where it is today --  
While we shrewdly speculate  
Flutter both away

_**-Emily Dickenson**_

**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

Kagome stirred slowly and still felt a little chilled even though she could tell she had blankets over her. It was several blinks and her vision clearing to realize that she was in the den and then several more moments before she sat up straight looking around in uncertainty.

The whole room was clean. The books that had been torn on seemed returned to completion and the walls and ceiling where clear of the strange symbols they'd been painted with before. The bedding was equally clear of any blood though she saw that her first aid kit had been placed nearby, all it's supplies must have been returned.

_"So I guess Lezard is okay then?"_ Kagome thought idly as she rubbed at her arms. It was cold, she was gonna have to turn up the heat.

Wandering out of the den and across the living room she didn't note the wizard and frowned a little before calling his name to the house. The lack of a reply made her more nervous as she searched the house over before frowning at the thermostat reading a normal temperature and tossing her jacket on though she was moving into the fair warmth of a sunny afternoon there was something to the cold plaguing her she couldn't quite manage to shake.

She wasn't sure if calling his name would really do her much good and nothing in the yard seemed to place that he'd been there recently. _"Could he have left and gone to the gathering without me while I was passed out?"_

_"That jerk...save his life and he goes out and parties while I'm still frigid...what the hell is happening anyway?"_ Kagome was grumpy and being reasonable when tired had never been one of her strong suits. She did consider just leaving him there but was concerned that her friends would wonder after her previous excuses as to his health instead of hers being poor.

She ran back inside, a pro at getting ready quickly out of sheer amount of experience. It was within 10 minutes that she had on a better outfit for the gathering (with the jacket still there) had done her hair and make up and grabbed what she needed for her backpack.

She was running down the steps in hopes of making it there before too much longer...she was going to really have to have a talk with him about manners and not just leaving her alone after she passed out at random. _"Well I guess it wasn't random and he probably knows why but he's horrible just leaving me there for pizza of all things!"_

The park where the gathering was being held was actually close to her home, quite a ride for most of the students going but the forested area within was a rare treat for those in the city and it reached far enough that it was a lovely place for parties. Several people had the same idea with groups of people here and there gathered together.

"Kagome! Over here." She recognized Hojo's voice and smiled awkwardly as she waved at him. She thought he was still on a trip with his parents but headed toward where he and other members of their class had gathered. "Are you sure you should be here? You look a little pale Kagome."

"I'm fine, just been busy trying to catch up on schoolwork." She lied smoothly, looking around and not seeing anyone else similar to Hojo's description made her frown a little. _"That's not good, where could he have gone?"_

"How is your exchage student? I heard from Yuka he wasn't feeling well himself. Don't think he's gonna make it?" Hojo made polite conversation. Kagome really didn't have much of a crush on him anymore, she might have over a year ago when her forays into the past started but now she only considered him a friend.

"Um...I'm not sure." She answered honestly. "I think he left before me cause I needed to do a couple things at the shrine and now I don't know where he is."

"You don't think he got lost do you?" Ayumi asked seriously, butting into the conversation. "Why would you let him walk on his own?"

"I didn't, he left before I knew it." Kagome defended herself. She didn't want her friends thinking she was that irresponsible. "Do you think he might have come but just not found this group yet? There are a lot of people here."

"That would be logical." Hojo nodded to Kagome's words. "The pizza guy apparently is having a hell of a time finding us and Ayumi even erected a flag out of one of the school gym shirts."

Pointing over his shoulder there was indeed a makeshift shirt-flag on a long but thin branch stuck between two of the boards of one of the picnic tables they managed to wrangle.

"We can try getting a few people to go looking for him if you want. Split up and see if anyone has seen him." Ayumi offered helpfully. "Most of the class can stay here in case he drops in. Does he have a cell phone."

_"I doubt he'd know what a cell phone was."_ Kagome thought. "No. He doesn't."

"I'll get Eri and Yuka to help." Ayumi promised. "Hojo can stay here sense I don't think he's seen much of him yet. He looks a lot like you but has purple eyes, they're the wildest contacts but it's strange he wears glasses with them, you can't really miss that."

Hojo nodded, he seemed a bit disappointed as if he'd hoped to 'search' with Kagome.

_"I should leave him lost."_ She was still bitter. _"Where the hell could he have gotten to?"_

"Okay I'm heading up toward the woods in case he didn't see us here. It's a little more hilly back there and no reason for anyone else to have to walk back there when he's my exchange student." Kagome explained, waving at her friends that seemed confident that the missing 'student' would be found before moving toward the deeper trees.

The park was nice if you stuck to the cleared areas for parties, the deeper paths were just thick enough for a close couple to walk on but in many places that wasn't even likely. There were a few cleared parts in the back but much of the time people didn't bother the treacherous hilly terrain to get there.

She'd liked running around back here as a kid though. The trees were deep enough and there wasn't much traffic so you could convince yourself you were in a real forest. That was of course before her trips into the feudal era. With even the occasional blare of a engine she couldn't hold onto the same illusions she'd made as a child.

One of the tables had a few kids sitting at it, they seemed to be upperclassmen as if they would graduate this year or possibly already in a young year of college. One of the boys seemed familiar as if they might have gone to her school. They all just looked as if they were hanging out and relaxing with a cooler and some bags nearby. She headed over with a fake smile plastered on her lips.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. Have you seen a kid about my age, he's German with brown hair and violet eyes?" She thought that would work well enough, she had no idea what he would have picked to wear and while he didn't have a large variety to choose from it seemed unwise to give loads of options.

"Dunno." She got a shrug from one of the guys. "Not many folks come back here."

"You are welcome to ditch the foreigner though sweetheart and stay here with us." A arm wrapped around her and she froze a moment before pulling herself away. She picked up the scent of alcohol and realized why they had picked to come so far back into the park's paths to celebrate. Likely none of them were of the legal age to drink yet.

"No, I think I should head back then and keep looking." She ducked further away from the guy and rushed down another of the paths that lead to a different clearing area. Eventually it would circle around to the large opening where she started and she would know if he'd indeed just wandered off or not.

"Wait up sweetheart...what's the rush. The foreigner won't ditch a sweet little thing like you." She didn't at all expect the blow to her skull. She was down almost instantly by the impact of a piece of wood one of the boys had used. "Give us a good time before you go running off to other men eh?"

Pain arched across her brain as terror set in. They meant to rape her?! The woods had always been secluded but she hadn't at all expected that sort of element to just be lingering here. She had to move!

By the time she lifted herself up one of the boys pushed her back down, her face slamming into the dirt path and adding to the head injuries to make more of that body part send daggers of pain to her senses. The first body bent her arms backwards and held her down, a second pair of hands was tugging the skirt she'd worn and she heard the clipping of scissors before she felt her panties slacken. _"Oh god...they were just laying in wait for someone...no...this isn't happening..."_

She started struggling in more earnest then, much of the initial shock had kept her like a frozen deer at first but now she was fighting against the hold and squirming as much as she could. She started to scream but it was cut off as one of the men shoved a cloth over her mouth and nose. "Don't worry honey, it only hurts for the first few minutes."

Her body was harder to move, there was a sweet smelling liquid she didn't recognize on the cloth and it was making her slowly cease her struggling as her body wouldn't quite react how she wanted. It was a deepening disgust as they were taking the time to arrange her body the way they wanted.

She closed her eyes, willing anything to help her stop them.

_**"May the heaven's relinquish even the light of hope from your destiny. Dark Savior."**_

Kagome's keen sense of dark magic went haywire as she heard the words. The voice she knew but it was warped and exceptionally darker than usual. She felt the person holding her release her hands and she scrambled away. She was several feet before she managed to turn around, unable to steadily rise to her feet, eyes widening at the bizarre energy that still coursed through the air but also at the fact that the person that likely was the second set of hands trying to grope her moments before was bleeding from several large puncture wounds so heavily she doubted that he would survive more than another moment. The man that had been holding her down didn't sport an injury of his own but was staring at Lezard in utter dread.

Lezard for his part was completely changed as she had found him just this morning. His body seemed normal and while he was wearing the clothes she'd originally discovered him wearing in the well they no longer were stained or had gaping tears. His eyes seemed somehow more mysterious and malevolent than they had before, though he was still looking dispassionately at the man Kagome was only barely managing to crawl away from. It was something else, something indiscernible by the eye that had changed, there was a electric static to the air around him, a power that she hadn't even seen around Naraku...the closest she could attribute it toward is the few times Sesshomaru had become completely serious against his opponents during the final days of her time in the fuedal era.

"What do you think you are doing to my guide?" Lezard asked it calmly, glancing over at Kagome a moment before making the vaguest of gestures her way and seeming to expect an answer from the boy.

"I...we were just..." The boy stammered and seem paniced but his knees trembled as he began to back up and he fell down. "Just trying to have some fun...didn't mean any harm..."

"Consider me a skeptic." Lezard's half-smile was downright vicioius. "If it is a lady you prefer, then I'll give you one."

_**"Arctic chill curl across my fingertips and send your touch into mine enemies. Frigid Damsel."**_

Even as he had started to speak a small wind curled up around him that wasn't felt by either the kid or Kagome as they watched, each vaguely speechless for what they were witnessing. Kagome's vision wavered as the dark energy sent her priestess abilities through the roof with alarms of 'holy shit that's not good!'

As Lezard pointed his finger at the boy a perfect woman crafted from ice seemed to leap from his grasp. Walking several steps toward the boy before a spear materialized into her hand and she danced around him, stabbing him exactly three times with amazing precision. He joined his comrade in a bloody mess split seconds later.

Kagome was gasping for air and trying to clear her head when she felt his gloved hand touch her arm. She jumped a little at the contact but was still fighting off the effects of whatever they'd used on her. "Lezard..."

"It's okay now. The threat is eliminated." He commented idly, looking her over with an appraising eye for damage. He'd found her just in time to pause the two delinquents from their heinous course. "Let's get you back shall we? Close your eyes."

She obeyed as much out of a desire to pass out as just going along with it. He had yet to willingly hurt her and had just saved her from something she wasn't sure she could have gotten over if it had gone much further. He was muttering something else and that alarm of dark magic sounded in the back of her brain before she felt even dizzier than she already had.

Then she was being set down on a mattress and she opened her eyes to find herself in her room, though her body couldn't listen to her desire to sit up and look around she just groaned a little.

"You are safe now." He commented still watching her. "They must have drugged you with something."

_"You think."_ She didn't want to spend the energy actually saying it. "How'd you know where I was?"

"I was out looking at the portal when you vanished from the house. I wouldn't have known you were gone but someone started talking to you like you were here and mentioned that they couldn't find me." Lezard explained, unaware he'd heard one of her friends leaving a message on the machine. "I figured at that point I should see if you had gone to the party that had been mentioned and used a spell to seek you out."

"Thank you." She managed, watching the totally different boy before her in a mix of marvel and trepidation.

"Between us, you still have many more marks on the life saving scale." Lezard pointed out with a small shrug, as if it wasn't much of anything. "My healing magic is weak but I believe that you will recover soon. The effects of whatever they used seem to be similar to a tranquilizing effect."

_"He knows just by looking?"_

"I will wait to continue my research on the portal but I will find you some water. You'll want to drink a lot of it." He commented before disappearing out of her room.

He had killed those men, sure, people that she wouldn't lament the loss of considering what they were doing...but the spells he'd used and the ease with which he'd called on energy so dark she could barely comprehend it... _"What did I release on the world healing him like I did? Why don't I mind it nearly as much as I should?_

**End Chapter**

Whew, so things took a darker turn but with a story with Lezard, that was bound to happen sooner or later. I loves how easily he's like 'pssh, weaklings' and waves people off. I went with a poem from Emily Dickenson instead of the commentary on emotions this chapter cause I just wasn't sure what to do. I might just do quotes instead from now on.

_-Nera_

Reviewer folk:

_minaseiko1_ - Well, thats if he is still pondering it as time progresses. I can defintely see him messing with Inuyasha just to do it. Given their personalities wouldn't mesh at all. Thank you for the good luck wish, jaw still hurts some but gotta get it done.

_Shiroi no Yume_ - I think I'm more crazy than brave. It's sorta hard to fit them together though. Hope you continue to enjoy it!


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